


A New Fate

by wethecommon



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Hermione Evans, The Marauders - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-11
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2018-08-07 15:03:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7719418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wethecommon/pseuds/wethecommon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hermione Granger fully accepts her death when she's hit with a killing curse in the final battle, it's waking up in a the body of an eleven year old in the year of 1971 that's a bit hard to grasp. In other words, Hermione has died but has been reborn in the twin of Lily Evans</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

All Hermione knew was that hope was lost. Harry was dead. Ron was dead. Fred, Remus, Tonks, and everyone else she ever cared about was dead. There was no chance at defeating the Death Eaters now. She could run as fast as she could, could cast as many spells as possible, and she still wouldn't even make a dent. All she felt was pure exhaustion and desolate grief, not even the slightest inkling of hope flickered in her heart. 

It did not take long for her to be overpowered. She fought bravely with all the strength she could muster, taking out her fair share of death eaters, but in the end it did not matter. Hermione Granger stood in the Great Hall, slowly inching her way into a corner. She was fighting five at once, throwing hexes here and there, blocking each curse thrown her way. Her limbs were tired, her spirit all but diminished, and she could no longer tell the difference between her sweat and tears. All was lost. Through her peripheral vision, she watched as more lives were being taken, the numbers of the Resistance against Voldemort dwindling down till it felt as though she was the last one left. Only one seventeen year old witch up against the darkest powers in all wizardry history and that thought drove her to hysteria. 

She was lashing out now, shouting every spell that was ever crammed into her head since she first received her letter from Hogwarts. From all the books, from all the classes, from all the practicing with Ron and Harry, all of her wizarding career leading up to this very moment. There were more surrounding her now, circling her like vultures. Even for as brilliant a witch as Hermione, she was overwhelmed. Even after spell after spell that took more and more death eaters out, they only kept reappearing. And when finally, the last curse hit her from behind, a scream dying upon her lips, it was all for naught. All was lost.

It was like falling asleep and waking up all at once. Her final memories washing through her head as the green embraced her and she sunk into the abyss. She was drowning, grasping for anything to pull her up, pull her back, but she was too far gone already. _I'm sorry Harry_ she wished she could tell him _I've failed_. There was nothing to comfort her as she sunk, only the strengthening force that dragged her further and further down. She was in the limbo, the in between of life and death. Faces floated around her like little orbs that drifted along the tide. They were lost souls just as her, somehow unable find a sense of peace in death.

 _This is it then_ , she thought, _I'm dead and I'm to travel to the after-life. Oh, how it will be sweet to see Harry and Ron once more._  

And when the floor seemed to open up around her, a blinding light emitting from it, Hermione accepted her fate. Suddenly, light was all Hermione could see, all she could feel. It warmed her bones and filled her head with sweet, serene thoughts. No more pain, no more grief, just _light, light, light._ Until finally she was swallowed up into the floor and it disappeared altogether. 

Hermione Granger was no more.

* * *

 

 Hermione heard a soft voice filtering through the air, so soft she was almost certain it was the air itself. She felt engulfed in warmth, only this time it wasn't from the mysterious light, but rather from fluffy blankets that cocooned her body. Her only wish was that she could snuggle further into the alcoves of its comfort. Her mind was addled with drowsiness, her body purely exhausted, yearning for more sleep, but then she felt a hand sweep across her forehead and her blood ran cold in panic. _Where am I?_

"Hermione, Hermione dear, it's time to wake up, c'mon today's the big day," She heard a soothing voice whispering from above. 

Immediately her eyes snapped open at the sound. Crouching beside Hermione was an elder woman, who looked no older than 40 and no younger than 35. She had bright almond-shaped green eyes with long blonde locks that fell along her shoulders, only slightly graying at the roots. Her faced was filled with sweet kindness as she stared upon Hermione. In her thoughts, Hermione heard a soft echo, _Mum_. 

"C'mon sleepy-head, you don't want to miss the train, now do you?" The woman spoke, louder now that she saw Hermione was awake.

"The train?" Hermione found herself asking. Although it wasn't the deeper, more mature voice she remembered. Her voice now had a higher tint to it, deeply shocking her. _Good heavens have a I landed in a Franz Kafka novel?_

"Yes, silly, for Hogwarts of course. Don't act as though you don't know. It's the only thing you and Lils have been able to talk about all summer. Now, c'mon, Lils has been ready for hours. Don't keep her waiting," The woman laughed before ruffling Hermione's hair and making to leave her room. 

Lils-Lily, _sister_ , her thoughts echoed, _twin_. 

"Mum?" Hermione tested the word on her lips, her heart thumping against her ribcage. 

"Yes, dear?" The lady responded, cocking her head to look at Hermione. 

"Nothing," Hermione squeaked, unable to find a sufficient excuse. 

The lady chuckled, "Well, alright." Before making for the door once more, this time leaving. 

Hermione's thoughts swam, unable to make sense of what was happening to her. She had died, was this the afterlife? No this couldn't possibly be, she felt more lively than ever. Her eyes feasted upon the room, taking in the soft lilac paint that lined the walls. It was small, but not enough to feel crammed. It made her feel cozy, rather. The bed lay smack in the middle, pushed against the wall in between windows that filtered in soft sunlight. Her bed sheets were a creamy white, with only a few stains marring its color. Across from her stood a bureau with a long mirror staring back at she her.

She hurriedly ran to it, desperate to examine herself. Gleaming back at her were the same chocolate brown eyes she had learned to grow fond of and the same round face she had come to know, but her features were slightly more youthful; less addled by stress but more addled with freckles. Her hair still lay in its thick curls, only slightly less voluminous, but it did not hold the same golden brown color she remembered. No, instead she was met with a deep auburn color, comparable to the Weasley's famous red. She was shorter than she remembered too, and her cheeks slightly more chubby. She looked almost as she did when she was eleven. 

Her eyes flittered to the corner of her mirror where a small picture lay tucked into its side. She had to climb onto the bureau just to reach it thanks to her newfound height. Captured in the black and white photograph was an image of her next to a girl who looked nearly identical to her, if it weren't for the different shape of her face and nose. Their arms were wrapped around each other's shoulders and they seemed to have been caught in a laugh with both their mouths opened wide and eyes twinkling. Warmth filled Hermione's heart as she gingerly glided her fingers over it.  _Sister. twin._

And suddenly it felt as though she had been smacked in the head with a bludger. Memories flooded her brain. Laughing with Lily, running through the fields with her and Petunia at her back, dad swinging her up on his shoulders, mum kissing her bruised knee after falling on the concrete, making a book float with her mind, Severus telling Lily and her of magic, them receiving their Hogwarts letters, all moments forcing their way into her mind. Hermione fell back on the bed from the impact, her mind buzzing with her whole new life finding a place in the folds of her memory.

Hermione Granger was no more. Hermione Evans had taken her place.

* * *

 

It didn't take long for Hermione to find something to wear. It seemed Lilac was her absolute favorite color and the majority of her clothes were dashed with it. She found a soft lilac sundress that fell to her knobby knees before pulling her hair into tight ponytail, silently praying her tie wouldn't break as so many others did. It seemed despite taking on an entirely new identity, her cursed curls still managed to follow her. With a sigh, Hermione reached for her already-packed trunk and began to make her way out of her room. She climbed down the stairs where she was greeted by her bustling family scattered in the kitchen. 

"Ah, so sleeping beauty has finally decided to come down from her tower," A middle-aged man, with deep auburn hair and hundreds of freckles displayed across his skin, joked. He had the newspaper set out in front of him with a steaming cup of tea held in his hand as he sat at the kitchen table. His eyes were warm and loving as he looked upon Hermione. 

"I believe you're getting Sleeping Beauty and Rapunzel confused there, dad," Hermione corrected him. She gave little thought as she reached for a plate in the cabinet above the sink and shoveled freshly cooked scrambled eggs upon it.

Her father let out a light laugh in response before ruffling her hair as she took a seat beside him. "What am I going to do without my little bookworm making sure I got my facts straight, hmm, you're gonna be off at that new school of yours," He quipped. 

"You'll have me," A voice grumbled from across Hermione. She looked up to find the scowling face of her sister, Petunia. 

"Of course, I'll have my little Tuney," Her father said, his voice turning from its joking manner to soft seriousness. 

"I'm not little!" She cried. It seemed she was in an even more irritable mood than usual this morning. 

Before Mr. Evans could find a reply to his oldest daughter, Lily came bustling into the kitchen, scaring her mother half to death who stood washing the pans in the sink. "Mione!" She exclaimed, "You're finally awake!" She ran over to her twin, taking a seat beside her at the table. Hermione shot her a quick wide grin. 

"I'm sorry, I was just so sleepy,"  Hermione explained herself, but Lily only waved her hand. 

"Are you all packed up?" She asked to which Hermione eagerly nodded. 

"Just finished packing last night," Hermione informed her. 

"Good. Oh, it's so exciting isn't it?" Lily inquired, her voice buzzing. 

Hermione let out a little giggle and once again, nodded eagerly. "Hogwarts sounds wonderful I cannot wait to-"

She was cut off by the loud scrape of a chair against the floor. All the Evans looked up to the noise to see Petunia standing with her face contorted in anger. She huffed before running from the kitchen and up the stairs to, no doubt, her room. "Tuney!" Lily shouted before taking off after her and with a sigh, Hermione followed too. She sprinted up the steps to find Lily outside Petunia's door pleading with her to let her in. Hermione took up post beside her twin. 

"Tuney, please come out," She begged, "Don't you want to see us off?"

There was hardly a pause before Petunia's shriek sounded, "No!" 

"Please, we're going to miss you lots," Hermione tried. This was regarded with cold silence.

Her sister's dramatics was quite a recurring theme in her newly instilled memories and so Petunia's response hardly surprised her. In her mind she had two different versions of the woman. The hateful, neglectful aunt of Harry Potter and the melodramatic older sister. She understood why Petunia acted the way she did. She was envious, feeling forgotten while her two younger sisters were gifted in the arts of magic. In this new life of Hermione's, she felt compassion towards her sister, but she could not forget the things Petunia had done in her past life.

Before the girls could try more negotiations with their older sister, Mrs. Evans ascended the staircase. "Girls, c'mon, it's time to go, get your things in the car," She instructed them. 

"But mum, what about Tuney? Is she not going to come?" Lily's voice was fearful at the thought of not getting to say goodbye to her sister. 

"Don't worry, I'll get her out of there. Now, off you go, don't want to be late for your first year!" Their mother replied before shooing them down the stairs. 

Lily was quiet as she packed her bags into the trunk of the Evans' family car. Her mind seemed to be focusing on her sister. Hermione knew of how Lily regarded Petunia wish such love and how it crushed her so that she didn't wish to see them off. It is a peculiar thing, the ties of siblings. This was the first time Hermione had any experience with it at all. When she had been Hermione Granger, she had no siblings, no matter how close she considered Ron and Harry. This was the first time she truly felt the bonding love of sisters. 

When they had finished putting their belongings in the trunk, Lily and Hermione made a move to to sit in the back seats as their father took the driver's seat. He turned back to them with a big grin and excitement glinting in his eyes. "Are you girls ready?" He asked. Hermione responded with an enthusiastic nod while Lily could only provide a small one. 

"C'mon Lils, you were excited nearly five minutes ago," He pointed out. 

She mustered up the best smile she could, "I am, dad, I really am."

Hermione sighed before nudging her twin with her shoulder. "Don't worry Lils, Hogwarts will be all we dreamt it to be and more," She did her best to comfort her. 

"I hope so," She heard Lily mutter. 

It did not take long for their mother to emerge from the house with a furious looking Petunia. She clambered into the back seat without breathing a single word to either of her sisters, only staring straight ahead. Hermione sat in between them, but Lily still tried to reach over to Petunia. Though the attempt was quickly evaded by Petunia's flinch, causing Lily to shrink back. Hermione sighed, what a long car ride it was going to be.

When they finally pulled up at King's Cross, Hermione could hardly contain her bubbling excitement. She was to be at Hogwarts again, her one true home that never failed to bring her happiness. No matter which Hermione she was, Hogwarts would always be her safe haven. She giddily slid out of the car, grabbing at her trunk and hastily pulling it along as they made their way inside. Petunia was still thoroughly sulking and Lily was still thoroughly upset about it, but nonetheless, they continued on through the hustling crowds of King's Cross Station. 

"No how on earth are we supposed to get to platform 9 and 3-quarters when there is no platform 9 and 3-quarters," Mr. Evans spoke utterly flabbergasted, eyes darting between platform 9 and 10.

"We have to run at the barrier, that's what Severus said," Lily piped up. Upon the mention of his name Petunia scoffed, but offered no words. 

Mr. Evans only laughed, "My-oh-my, what a school you girls will be going to."

They did as Lily instructed and ran at the barrier with their trunks full of supplies, and came out the other side into bustling Wizards and Witches and a steaming train ready to be boarded. 

"Oh this is truly magnificent," Mrs. Evans exclaimed in wonder as she took in the Platform around her. Hermione's happiness grew as her eyes appreciated the sight. Laughter echoed around her as many young witches and wizards bided goodbye to their families and boarded the train with their various pets and magical supplies. 

"Sev!" Lily called as she caught sight of black-haired boy with ratty clothes that hung loosely on his body. He seemed a cloud of gloom, but the minute he caught sight of Lily, the cloud evaporated. 

"You made it," He said and Lily nodded. 

"Listen, I'm gonna say goodbye to Tuney and my parents, then Mione and I will meet you on the train," Lily informed him, but he remained planted in his spot.

"I'll wait here," He stated and Lily shrugged before making her way to Petunia who stood defiantly with her arms crossed.

Hermione could only sigh as she turned to her parents. Their eyes were still taking in the sights of magic, watching as things whizzed to and fro. They could hardly spare a thought towards Hermione, but she demanded their attention nonetheless. 

"I'll write to you whenever I can," She told them, smiling up at them. 

"Of course," Her mother responded with her warm green eyes, "And we'll always write back."

Hermione felt an odd ache fill her heart. She had only spent a few hours with her parents, but she still felt the prick of tears in her eyes at the thought of leaving them. Her father smiled down at her, now, his gooey brown eyes searching hers. He brought his hand down to ruffle her unruly curls (which had popped out of the ponytail half an hour ago) with a sad smile gracing his features. 

"I'll never know where you got these curls," He japed, referring to an old joke between the Evans.

"I'm telling you, its from my Aunt Fern. Her hair grew to be the size of a bush," Her mother retorted, eyes shining with unshed tears, "Of course our Mione's curls are a thousand times prettier."

Hermione could hardly stop herself from running into her mother's arms, relishing in the warmth. "Oh sweetheart," Her mother whispered, "You're going to have a wonderful time. You and Lily both, you'll look out for each other won't you?"

"Always," Hermione hardly waited a beat in answering, fully understanding the promise this entailed. _I'm going to save Lily_ , she swore to herself, _I'm going to save them all_.

She had only pulled away from her mother for two seconds before she was being engulfed in her father's hug. "Don't forget your studies, I'm expecting only top marks from our brilliant Hermione," He reminded her, causing Hermione to laugh.

"I will never forget," Hermione responded, absolutely serious. No matter what life she lived, her grades would always be of utmost importance. 

Her father's smile dropped as he slowly pulled away and turned to look at Lily and Petunia who seemed to be getting in an argument. "Things will get better with her, won't they?" He asked, looking towards his wife. 

She let out an exasperated breath of air. "We can only hope," She replied. 

Hermione quickly ran to her twin's side who looked ready to cry. She had only arrived in time to hear Petunia's shrill, "Freak!" before Petunia was off to their parents' side. Lily was utterly devastated, watching their older sister with a sorrow-tinged heart. She finally turned to Hermione with solemn silence.

"It'll be alright, you know," Hermione promised, "We'll be together, as we always are."

Lily only gave her a nod and a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "I only wish she was kinder," She admitted, eyes cast to her shoes.

"I know," Hermione stated before wrapping her arm around Lily's, "I know."

Together, with Severus trailing at their side, the Evans twins boarded a train that would bring about for them a whole new realm of possibilities. 


	2. Chapter 2

It took much coaxing on Hermione's part to get her twin's spirits elevated. With Petunia's hurtful words in parting, Lily could find little excitement in journeying to Hogwarts and the little run-in with young James Potter and Sirius Black surely didn't help. They had to go and find a new, completely empty compartment because of it. Once settled, Severus could not help himself from complaining about the incident incessantly. 

"Gryffindor," He scoffed, "Why would anyone want to be sorted into Gryffindor? It's full of half-wits who can hardly tell their left foot from their right."

"Ignore them, Sev," Hermione tried, but Severus took to ignoring her instead. 

"They called me Snivellus," He grumbled, staring down at his fiddling hands. Lily reached for them, searching Severus with her worried eyes. 

"Don't let them get to you. They're just a bunch of bullies, nothing more," Lily comforted him. 

He offered her only a grimace before turning to look out the wide window that stretched against the side of their compartment. Outside, trees flew by as they chugged along on the tracks. The sky was only just beginning to darken, signaling it was only the beginning of their journey to the great school and it seemed Hermione was the only one in the compartment that was truly excited. 

"It doesn't matter what houses we get sorted into in the long run, only that we remain friends, yeah? Hogwarts will still be as wonderful a place whichever house the sorting hat decides to place us," Hermione spoke up, breaking a moment of silence.

Severus sighed, "Slytherin is the best house, we should all be sorted into it."

"And we all want to be," Lily cut in and Hermione forced her lips together. It would do her no good in voicing her disapproval to that statement. "But Mione is right, whatever house we may be sorted into, we must always promise to remain the best of friends."

Severus nodded begrudgingly at Lily's words and gave a long, exasperated sigh in defeat. "Still Slytherin . . ." He began to argue, but quickly broke off once he caught sight of Lily's glare. "Fine. Fine. It doesn't matter," He gave in.

"Good," Lily said, positively proud of herself. 

Before they could say anything else, they were interrupted by the trolley witch who was only beginning her rounds. "Anything from the trolley?" She asked, taping on their compartment door. They all got up to stare in wonder at the delicious treats arrayed on the trolley. Hermione felt her mouth begin to water when her eyes reached the cauldron cakes and couldn't help herself from buying quite a few. Lily and Hermione's parents made absolute certain their girls were well provided for with a good bag of money-each-before sending them off. 

When the Evans twins had bought enough candies to fill their stomachs for months, they settled back in their seats with a new mountain of goodies. Upon seeing that Severus was without such a mountain, they immediately began supplying him with all the treats he could fit on his lap.

"There'll be a big feast when we get there, to welcome us and all. We shouldn't eat them all at once. We should wait and ration them out to save them for classes," He told them.

Hermione would rather drop dead than be caught with food in McGonagall's class, but did her best in hiding her thoughts. It wouldn't do well to divulge them in the fact that she even knew what a class with McGonagall was like. She had to be careful, extremely careful if she ever wished to take down Voldemort. The thought plagued her, tugging at the back of her mind when she only wanted to succumb to the true joy of returning to Hogwarts. No, she had to plan. The fate of the world, the fate of her _twin sister,_ rested heavily on her shoulders _._ But there isn't much you can do in facing off against the darkest wizard in all history as an eleven year old so Hermione was going to have focus this time primarily on plotting and researching. And the thought caused a quiver of excitement to run down her neck. Researching, her absolute most favorite past time. 

 _Time_ , the thought rung in her head shrill as a bell, _I've got lots of time_. It was something she never had back when her, Harry, and Ron were beginning their horcrux hunt. She felt a sharp pain in her heart when she thought of her lost friends. It had only been last night when she held Ron's body in her quacking arms. _I'm going to save them_ , she reminded herself, _I'm going to stop that battle from ever taking place_. Hermione didn't have the slightest clue as to how or why she was sent back to this time, only that this was her only chance to rewrite history and fix _everything_. She would be damned if she let the opportunity pass her by.

So with that thought in mind, Hermione reached for an every flavor bean, relaxing in relief when she realized it was only a lemon one and turned to stare out the window. The scenery was changing rapidly, the landscape growing wilder and wilder by the minute. They would be at Hogwarts in only an hour or so and Hermione's worries began slowly melting away at the realization. 

* * *

 

It was a flurry of hundreds of students piling out of the train when they had finally reached their stop. There were owls hooting, luggage getting knocked around as people pushed against each other, and the unmistakable atmosphere of pure glee. Each and every student was incredibly excited upon the arrival. Though of course the first years had a nervous energy buzzing around them as well. Lily, Hermione, and Severus all had to lock hands in order to ensure they wouldn't lose each other amongst the swarm of students. When they heard the unmistakable call of Hagrid's gruff voice- "Firs' years this way!"-Hermione felt her hand being pinched even tighter. 

"Why are we getting separated from all the other students?" Lily asked, whipping her head around to Severus, voice slightly higher than usual. 

"It's tradition," He answered, "The first years ride boats across the lake to get to the castle."

"Oh," Lily responded, voice returning to normal.

They began their walk with all the other first years, following Hagrid's instructions as they were led down a long, dark path until they finally reached the boats. Quietly, they climbed into a boat where a girl with dark hair and honey-flecked eyes was already sitting. Severus was rather flustered around the girl, but Hermione and Lily made easy conversation as they floated across the lake, darkened under the veil of night. 

"What's your name?" Lily had asked when they first plopped down in the boat. 

"Mary Macdonald," The girl had replied, voice soft and smile sweet. 

"Well, I'm Lily Evans," She had introduced herself, "And this is my sister, Hermione-" Hermione offered a wave and a big smile "-and this is our friend Severus Snape," Severus could only manage an awkward nod. 

Nonetheless, Mary had only smiled brighter and gave them a kind greeting, "It's a pleasure to meet all of you." From then on, Hermione and Lily began asking her questions like what house she wished to be sorted in (Gryffindor, she had said and Hermione had to elbow Severus in the side to keep him from commenting) and what she looked forward to most. She answered thoughtfully and asked questions in return. By the end of the boat ride, it seemed they had found a budding friendship in the girl and the group of three became become a group of four as they scurried their way up the stairs to the castle.

The nervous energy was well increased as the first years waited outside the entrance to the Great Hall. Murmurings of conversations were being kept, but all in all, it was relatively quiet. They could hear the great laughter from the Great Hall where they stood. It seemed the boys with whom Lily, Severus, and Hermione had met on the train where they only loud ones out of the whole group. A flash of dark hair and a gleam of glasses could be seen as the two boys talked animately to each other, using large hand motions as if acting something out.

"Whatever could they be on about?" Severus seethed from beside Lily. 

"Does it matter?" Lily questioned in return, clearly having little cares about the two boys. 

"What? Oh, James Potter and Sirius Black?" Mary asked as she turned her head to and fro trying to see what Lily and Severus were talking about before spotting the boys. "I met them on a train, we shared a compartment. Me and an other boy-Peter, I think his name was- anyway they seemed rather funny when I was talking to them, gave me a good laugh or two." Her mouth twitched, as she looked back on it, as if fighting off giggles. 

Severus scoffed, "They seem like a couple of-"

But he was cut off as an older woman in fuchsia robes came gliding over towards them. It only took a moment for Hermione to realize it was Professor McGonagall, save a few wrinkles and worry lines upon her brow. Her entire presence demanded attention and that's what she got as everyone quieted down upon her arrival, even James and Sirius. She explained to them what was about to transpire, they would go into the great hall and once she called their names, the hat would be placed upon their heads and they would be sorted.

Hermione felt the slightest twinge of panic, what if she wasn't sorted into Gryffindor? But she quickly shook it away as the first years began making their way into the great hall. It didn't matter what house she was placed in, just as long as it didn't interfere with her plans in bringing upon the demise of the dark lord. But oh-it would be nice to be in the same house with Lily, it truly would be. The thought of being without her twin brought an ache into her heart. 

Having who was lost in her own thoughts, completely unawares the sorting ceremony had even begun, was thoroughly shocked when she heard McGonagall's pristine voice calling out, "Evans, Hermione."  Like a jolt of lightning, Hermione forced her way out of her head and up to the stool. Looking at her with expectant gazes was a hall full of boisterous students. If she closed her eyes, she could imagine she back in her original time period, sitting, waiting for the hat to make its choice, the hat wavering between Ravenclaw or Gryffindor. What it have trouble deciding again? Would it sit atop her for minutes upon minutes, knowing she didn't truly belong in this time? 

But when the hat was placed upon her head, it hardly took a breath before shouting, "Gryffindor!" And Hermione felt a wave of glee wash over her. The Gryffindor table erupted in cheers as she walked over, unable to wipe her grin. Of course she desperately wanted to be placed in Gryffindor. It was her house. The one she found the best of friends in, the one she found _herself_ in. She did not know what she was if she wasn't a Gryffindor. And when she took her place on the bench, staring around at the equally exuberant faces, she knew she belonged. 

Lily sat atop the stool next and Hermione caught her terrified eyes, giving her a reassuring nod, before the hat fell over her face, obscuring the view. Just as it had done for the Hermione, the hat sorted Lily into the great house of the brave as the students began cheering all over again, but Hermione was the loudest of them all. Lily happily took her place beside her twin. 

"We're together, Lils! We're together!" Was all Hermione could get out before the next student was called up to the stool and the room fell silent again. 

More and more students were being sorted, each finding their way to their new table once their house was called. Hermione recognized a great more names than she had expected she would. Gryffindor earned its fair share of students with James Potter positively beaming as he made his way to sit beside Sirius, Mary MacDonald who took a spot on the other side of Hermione, shooting her a grin, Remus Lupin with his scarred face but bright smile, Peter Pettigrew (Hermione could hardly fight the bile rising), Marlene McKinnon who was a girl with bleached blonde hair and steely eyes who sat beside Lily offering them a rather confident "hello!", and another notable girl, Dorcas Meadowes, with thinker curls than Hermione's and who was a little less confident and a bit more timid than Marlene when she took a seat beside her. 

There were barely any students left when Severus' name was called. He slowly stalked to the stool, catching sight of Lily and Hermione before the hat was placed over his eyes. To Lily's disappointment, the hat shouted a quick "Slytherin!" and Severus was off to the far right side of the great hall, not even bothering to spare a glance at Lily. Hermione could feel her sister crumbling beside her. 

"Oh, Hermione, he's alone, he's all alone," She whispered frantically into Hermione's ear. 

"It doesn't matter, remember?" Hermione swiftly reminded her, "We'll still be friends."

Hermione prayed that to be true, but still felt a dark foreboding pass over her heart. If he joined the death-eaters, if he got wind of the prophecy then both James and Lily would be _dead, gone._ But Hermione couldn't even think of it. She was going to fix it-she _had_ to fix it. Her sister's life depended on it. 

* * *

 Hermione's first year began in a whirlwind. She made sure to try and act the part of an ignorant first year when she really knew her way around the school better than the rest. So, she would let Mary lead them astray on their way to their very first Potions' class. It came as a pleasant surprise when they came rushing into the class 10 minutes late and weren't met by the treacherous glare of Professor Snape who would have surely deducted a great number of house points for the tardiness. Instead, they were greeted by Professor Slughorn who was more than understanding and only asked that it did not happen again. It was a very odd shock, but very much appreciated. Hermione, who had gotten used to the cruel words of Snape, was having a difficult time growing accustomed to Severus' friendship rather than his animosity.

It took little time for Hermione to fall into an easy routine. In the morning, she would grab breakfast with the rest of the girls (Lily, Mary, Dorcas, and Marlene) before setting off for the first class of the day. In between classes she would find herself at the library. Studying was her excuse and this evoked a "Blimey, Hermione, what's there to study for? We've only just begun classes!" from Marlene, but Hermione would only shrug her off. She devoted all the time in the library to planning. She read books, upon book on basilisks. Seeing as that was the only method of destroying a horcrux that was somewhat accessible to Hermione. But Hermione was at a complete loss at how to extract the venom. She had been going over parseltongue at night, only needing to know one word: open. The Basilisk would be in a deep slumber if she were to go down there, but she trembled at the thought if it were to awake. Surely, the heir of Slytherin could be the only one to awaken the creature, but would it still awaken when she went to extract the venom?

Among Hermione's notes was the list of horcruxes. Tom Riddle's Diary, Marvel Gaunt's Ring, Salazar Slytherin's Locket, Helga Hufflepuff's Cup, Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem, Nagini, and finally Harry. Of course Nagini and Harry had been starred, marking that they hadn't yet been created . She wrote down all the information of each horcrux that she could remember. It seemed the easiest horcrux for Hermione to destroy would be the Diadem with its location being in the walls of Hogwarts itself. She knew the locket to be in Crystal Cave, but the question became were the defenses already up? If they hadn't been tested on Kreacher yet then was Voldemort still placing them? The locket would be the most dangerous of all to retrieve if Voldemort was still keeping a close eye on it. Hermione also had to be extremely careful with the ring. Although she knew the exact location of it and it would not be too dangerous trying to obtain, she was going to have to take extra care in making sure not to touch it. If she were to touch it before destroying it, then it would curse her and she would die, causing this whole quest of her to be for naught. But it wasn't even the possibly deadly horcuxes that worried her the most. It was the Cup and the diary that kept her up at night fidgeting with nerves. She hadn't the slightest clue where they were hidden. The only thing that she knew for certain was that they will later be placed in the care of Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange. She couldn't just wait for them to be entrusted with the horcruxes, but she couldn't very well go up to Voldemort and ask him of the whereabouts of them either. With those, she realized, she would be in the same exact predicament as when it was her, Harry, and Ron on the run.

With all her time spent in the library and her receiving top marks in class, it seemed she was already gaining her old reputation of a total and complete smartaleck. Although, not as much as an insufferable know-it-all as before. Having already gone through Hogwarts, Hermione no longer felt the need to show case her knowledge to anyone who would listen. In fact, it worked more in her favor to keep her mouth shut; better to keep attention from being drawn to herself. But Hermione quickly came to the realization that spending every waking moment in the library was rather quite alarming and some students even began to whisper things about her. So, ever so reluctantly, Hermione began spending less time in the library and more time with Lily and getting to know the other girls from their year in Gryffindor. Hermione took a liking to Dorcas Meadowes who although at times was a bit shy and quiet, was rather funny when you got to know her. She also shared Hermione's love for books and knowledge so they quickly took to one another and would often be seen discussing their homework in the Gryffindor common room. Hermione had always liked Mary, but Lily and Mary had grown fond of each other and were closer than Hermione was to Mary. Although, it didn't bother her in the slightest. As for Marlene, Hermione didn't know what to think of her. She was a bit unpredictable and more out-going than the rest of them. She was funny too, really funny, but she made the types of jokes that caused Hermione to feel guilty for laughing. All in all, Hermione had found herself a great group of friends. 

Of course there was always Severus, who Lily and Hermione would always meet every Thursday night in the library. He had much to say on Slytherin and how it was everything he hoped it to be. Lily and Hermione held their tongues, for they had quickly come to realize that not everyone in Slytherin was kind. In fact, Severus' new friends, Avery and Mulciber, were the worst of them all. But they never wanted to get into an argument during the little time they got to spend with Severus so they kept quiet. Although, it didn't particularly help that they were in the same house as Severus' two biggest rivals. 

"I mean how can you even _stand_ to be around them?" He had said one afternoon, "James Potter and Sirius black are the two most detestable, most vile people in the all of Hogwarts!"

"Really, Sev, you mustn't let them get to you," Was Hermione's immediate response. She knew Sirius, well future Sirius at least, and he showed Harry so much love and kindness, she could never despise him. He never deserved his terrible fate, in her opinion. As for James, he sacrificed his _life_  to save his family and if Lily is sure to grow to love him (eventually) then he truly is a good man. It would only take them some time to find themselves and stop being so horrible to Severus. After all, they were only eleven.

"How am I supposed to do that? They're always tripping me up and they still call me Snivellus!" He cried. 

"They truly are cruel," Lily agreed with Severus, "Have you considered telling a teacher?"

"What?!" Severus looked as though Lily had just admitted to murder, "That'll just make it worse!"

"Well, next time I see them say anything _I'll_ stand up for you," Lily stated. 

"No!" Severus exclaimed, earning pointed looks from everyone in the library causing Severus' cheeks to grow quite pink. The next thing he said was in such a low whisper, Hermione could barely hear him at all, "Don't you get it, Lily? They'll only laugh even harder if _you_ defend me."

Lily's reaction was swift and immediate. She snapped her head away from Severus' face, which she had leaned into to hear his whisper, and crossed her arms over her chest. "And what would be so wrong with me helping my friend? Hmm Sev? Would it embarrass you because I'm a _girl_?" Lily's voice had taken on a dark tone.

Severus groaned. "I didn't mean it like that, Lily. I just meant that-that . . .oh forget it! I'll deal with it myself, okay? And I'll never complain about it ever again!"    Of course he hadn't, and he had, in fact, complained about it numerous times after it. 

And so that's how the rest of Hermione's first year went, she spent her time juggling classes while continuing her extensive planning and also trying to spare time to spend with her beloved group of friends. She came to truly enjoy the time where she could forget all the horrid and consuming visions that plagued her from her past life and could get lost in one of Marlene's jokes or Lily's laughter. It was her favorite time of all. And when exam time rolled around, the girls took to the library with books piled high, quizzing each other on the various important witches and wizards from medieval times or going over how to turn a piece of hair into a needle. Even Marlene managed to crack a book, but that was only after Hermione kept insisting so. By the end of the year, Hermione found herself truly despising the idea of having to leave her friends, similar to how she always felt when she left Harry and Ron for the summer holidays. After their deaths, she believed she would never, ever find a friendship like that ever again and although she would never forget Harry and Ron, _could never_ , it made her cherish her newfound friendships all the more. 

There was still so much to do, still so much to plan, but Hermione didn't see the harm in enjoying her friends' company even for the moment. She was doing this for them, for all of them, but the thought hardly made it any easier, worse in fact. If she messed up even the tiniest bit, they would all be gone and she would have failed again. She would be all on her own once more and she was certain there wasn't a new identity she could be thrown into this time. This was her only chance. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to get to the more important stuff so Hermione's early years at school are only going to be a chapter each, but as time goes on and Hermione gets older, there will be more chapters dedicated to each year.

It felt as though summer vacation had hardly begun before Hermione was packing her trunk for Hogwarts again. The summer had mainly consisted of consoling Lily after Petunia had been more cruel than usual, laying in the soft plush grass while talking with Lily and Severus, writing letters to her friends from Hogwarts, and sneaking away whenever she could to continue her planning on defeating the dark lord. It had come to a point where she had hundreds of rolls of parchment all tucked away in her sock drawer. No matter how many words she scribbled onto paper however, she still felt no closer to reaching her goal. On the contrary, she only felt incredibly overwhelmed with all she had left to do. And being around her loving and warm family only made her wish she could disappear into this life and that she, even for a moment, could pretend that nothing bad would befall the world and that she was nothing more than a normal twelve year old with a light heart and youthful soul. But her soul was forever burdened by the horrors of her past life, ones she could never forget, and that's what kept her up to the wee hours of the morning, furiously recording new theories on where the diary and cup might be. 

So yes, summer had gone by rather too fast for Hermione's liking, but there wasn't much she could do about it as the night before she was set to board the train was upon her. Lily had found herself in her sister's room, sprawled out across the bed sheets, her wild red hair fanned out along the pillows. Hermione was still packing all her things as Lily was voicing all her worries for the new school year.

"Do you think those boys, James and Sirius, will still be cruel to Severus?" Lily pondered, looking over at her sister who was currently folding her new school robes. Hermione could only shrug at her twin. Upon her silence, Lily continued, "I don't care what Sev says, if I see them picking on him, I'm going to say something. 

To this, Hermione sighed. "You know he'll only get mad at you," She reminded her. 

"Which is absolutely absurd. If he wants them to stop why won't he accept my help?" Lily questioned in return.

"He has too much pride," Hermione simply replied.

"I just wish those boys would stop. It beats me how someone as nice as Remus can be friends with them," Lily mused.

Hermione looked to her sister now, somewhat surprised by her words. She hadn't remembered Lily mentioning anything about Remus before. In fact, Hermione had heard little of Remus at all in her first year. He seemed to remain under the radar and of course Hermione knew why, but it still managed to fill her with uncertainty. She desperately wished to become Remus's friend, but felt rather unsure how to approach him. 

"Remus?" Hermione asked, her attention now fully upon her sister, her robes forgotten. 

"Yes, you do know him right? He's the tall one in our year in Gryffindor. I spoke to him a bit last year. He was rather nice to me and I would like to consider him a friend, but towards the end of the year I started to see him more and more with Potter and Black and that other boy--Peter," Lily explained. 

Hermione shrugged, "Well they can't be all bad then, if Remus is friends with them?"

Lily seemed a bit stumped for a minute and struggled to find an answer. "It doesn't take away from how cruel they are to Severus, not even in the slightest," She finally settled upon.

It would take a few more years, it seemed, for Lily to grow to like James, no matter how hard Hermione tried to speed up that process. So, Hermione simply nodded to her sister before turning her attention back to packing. There was not much Hermione could do towards the plan this year either. As it was, she was still a young girl with little influence over the workings of the world. It could only be when the First Order of the Phoenix would be assembled that she would be of any real use with her extensive knowledge. But that was far off in the future and too close to the deaths of James and Lily. She was going to have to find the Horcruxes before then. She was going to have to make Voldemort mortal so the Order could have even the slightest chance of killing him. At times, Hermione could scream with all the troubles that laid on her shoulders and ask whatever driving force had done this to her, had placed the fate of the world in her small hands, if it could kindly point her in the right direction. But there were no answers for her, only the vast feeling of isolation. It was only her. It was all up to her.

The next morning, when the Evans twins raced to the departing train, hopping on at the last second (Petunia had gotten into a rather nasty fight with them and it had made them late), they could not find Severus at all. It had been agreed that they would meet each other on the train to share a compartment, as they had done a year prior. But no matter how hard they looked, he was nowhere to be found.

"Oh, you don't think he's missed the train, do you?" Lily asked, unable to hide her worried tone.

But as Lily had just begun voicing the words, Hermione spotted a boy with familiar long, dark hair and a pointed nose. " _Oh_ ," She whispered as soon as she recognized the boys he was sitting with. He was in his own compartment, sitting across from two boys with terrible sneers and green robes. 

" _Oh_ ," Lily reiterated once she followed Hermione's line of vision, "He's found his own friends it seems."

Hermione could only nod. He was with Avery and Mulciber. Lily and Hermione had already heard some terrible things about them, but as Severus had already made friends with the boys, there wasn't much they could do to persuade him otherwise. Besides, maybe it was good making friends of his own. After all, Hermione and Lily had found themselves an entirely new group of friends, one that did not include Severus (as he was always quick to point out). It was only fair. Still, Hermione knew all too well of the terrible path these friends of Sev's would lead him down. 

"Oi! Hermione! Lily!"

The two twins whipped around to find a tall and lanky blonde-haired girl waving wildly at them. Hermione quickly recognized this to be Marlene McKinnon. It seemed she had hit a growth spurt over the summer. She now towered over both Lily and Hermione, who were stuck at a height of 5'0" and had sadly grown little over the summer. 

"Marlene!" Lily exclaimed happily in reply. She rushed to her friend and threw her arms around her to envelope her in a rather large embrace. Hermione followed closely in pursuit and gave Marlene a hug once Lily pulled away. 

"I thought I recognized the bushy hair," Marlene joked, affectionately tugging on a piece of Hermione's hair, causing Hermione to scowl. This led a boisterous laugh to erupt from Marlene's mouth. "Lighten up there Mione, I was only kidding. Now c'mon- Mary, Dorcas, and I have saved a compartment. We've been waiting for ages for you two to show up." 

Together, Lily and Hermione followed the tall blonde as she led them down a series of compartments until finally, she tugged them into one where Dorcas sat reading and Mary sat brushing her hair. Upon their arrival, however, the two girls stopped their activities immediately and threw themselves up to greet their friends. After a few minutes of bubbled laughter, gushy 'hello's, and warm hugs, the five girls found themselves settled into their seats as the train chugged it's way off to Hogwarts, merrily recounting their summers. It was another moment that filled Hermione's heart with such nostalgic memories of her train rides with Harry and Ron. No longer would she be able to accompany her two greatest friends on their journey to another year at Hogwarts, but as she looked upon the four girls who's hysterical laughter at another one of Marlene's jokes danced around the compartment, she found the thought no longer caused her as much anguish as before. 

* * *

Hermione truly hadn't meant to be late to her first lesson of the year. It was just, she believed she had found a lead on the cup and had stayed up all night to mull it over in her mind, but it wasn't until 4 in the morning that she realized the theory to be inconclusive. Then and only then, had she finally allowed her heavy lids to shut. And now they had reopened 10 minutes past the starting of class. She rushed to get ready, cursing herself for having wasted so much time on such a pointless effort.

By the time she was racing into Defense Against the Dark Arts, everyone was already settled in their seats and the lesson had begun. Hermione gulped as Professor Thorne, a rather tall, slender, and strict older woman, shot her a pointed glare. 

"There you are, Ms. Evans, a whole 20 minutes late to my first class of the year. How very disappointing. I hope this is merely a mistake and one you will _not_  bear to repeat. Now please, take a seat," the professor instructed. 

Hermione's face beamed the color of her robes as she searched for a spare seat. Even if she was a new Hermione, she was still condemned to her habits of old that instructed her to always strive to please the teacher. Now, she felt only ashamed she had disappointed Professor Thorne so. As she searched, she caught the apologetic faces of her friends, all sitting with one another with not an empty seat in sight. She lowered her brows at them at them. How could they not have woken her up and allowed her to be so late?

Finally she found the only unoccupied seat beside her old Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Remus Lupin. She sat down tentatively beside him and he spared her a small smile before quickly glancing away. It felt odd to know that in this life, Remus hadn't even met Hermione. In her old one, he was her teacher, her mentor, her friend. And now, she was merely a stranger to him. These double memories were enough to give her a headache. It was like looking at one's reflection on the surface of water, your own image bears resemblance but the reflection around is distorted, unknown, a completely different world entirely. 

It was odd to see Remus this way, so young with not a hint of gray. He was shorter than before, of course, and he had a youthful face free of worry lines. In fact the only feature that served as testament to the Remus the old Hermione had know was the set of scars from his werewolf attack. His beautiful, kind face, marred by the creature he was cursed to become. 

Professor Thorne carried on with the lesson. They were learning the proper defenses against a Red Cap, and Hermione had to hide her smile. She had learned this all before from the boy sitting right beside her. But nevertheless, she listened and scribbled notes dutifully to carry on the mirage that this was her very first lesson on such creatures. When the lesson was almost at an end, Professor Thorne turned away from the board and addressed the class. 

"Now, for your first assignment, I would have you working in pairs. Turn to the person beside you, they will be your partner--" Hermione and Remus looked at one another and shared another small smile "--As Red Caps are most dangerous to those on their own, I will have you first working in pairs before you endeavor to fight one on your own. With your partner, research ways in which you may repel a Red Cap and select one to have prepared so that you may both demonstrate for me next class. That is all, class dismissed."

As Hermione began to collect her things she turned to Remus, grateful to have him as her partner. Not only did it mean they would undoubtedly get a good grade, but it also meant she would have an excuse to speak with him. 

"We should meet," she began," in the library some time to research and all. Oh, I'm Hermione by the way." She then stuck out her hand, but the way Remus glanced at it made her feel insecure. Whatever doubts he might have had, he shook it nonetheless. 

"Right, I know who you are," he said with an apologetic smile and she felt stupid, which was not at all a welcome feeling for Hermione. Of course he knew who she was, they're in the same house for crying out loud.

"I'm Remus," he added which made her feel a bit better that he also felt a need to introduce himself. 

"Right," Hermione echoed, "so when should we meet for the library?"

"What about Thursday?" He suggested, "at 3? I should be free then."

"That works!" Hermione agreed a little too enthusiastically for her liking.

Remus smiled but before he could say anything more, three boys found their way over. Hermione quickly recognized them as James, Sirius, and Peter. James hadn't changed much from last year, only that his hair had managed to get all the more messier (it made Hermione smile to see how closely he resembled Harry). Sirius, however, had grown in height and was sporting a new smirk that didn't quite suite a childish face, while Peter, Hermione noticed, had grown only in width, but Hermione didn't like to look long. The sight of him was a revulsion in itself, a mere echo of the traitor he would soon become.

"Oi, Remus, let's get a move on," James called, "stop flirting with Evans 2.0 over here."

Hermione wasn't as insulted by the insinuations of flirting than she was by the nickname. "Evans _2.0?_ " She repeated, bewildered. 

"Well we can't exactly call you Evans now can we? Then we'd get you confused with Lily," Sirius explained. 

"Why don't I get to be Evans? How come I have to be Evans 2.0--" But then Hermione caught herself.

"--You know what," she said, pulling her bag over her shoulder, "this isn't even worth arguing over, I have class to get to. Good bye, Remus, see you Thursday."

Remus offered her a small wave while James laughed as Sirius called, "Try not to be late to this one!", causing Hermione to stalk out the door.

Sure, James and Sirius would become great men, but in their adolescence they were nothing short of annoying. What served as the primary aggravation to Hermione, however, was the fact that she was actually annoyed by the nickname, but c'mon _Evans 2.0_ , was there really nothing better they could come up with? She was so lost in her thoughts, she almost ran into her friends who were waiting outside for her. 

"I'm really sorry, Hermione," Lily said immediately, truly looking apologetic. Lily knew how important studies were to Hermione. "I should have checked to make sure you were awake, but well . . ."

"You're always the first of us up anyway," Marlene cut in, "I never thought I'd live to see the day Hermione Evans was late to class. I mean, how can you even face yourself in the mirror, you monster?!"

"Stop it!" Hermione cried causing Marlene to laugh all the more. 

"Ignore Marlene," Mary instructed, "we just assumed you were already awake, that's all."

"Yeah, it wasn't until we reached class that we realized our mistake but by then it was too late," Dorcas finished.

Hermione glanced at their faces, they all appeared to be telling the truth which made her feel a bit better, despite the chesire grin still gracing Marlene's face. 

"Alright," she gave in, "I guess I believe you. It's my fault anyway, I was just up late reading."

Marlene rolled her eyes, "Of course you were." 

And with that the five girls hooked arms and headed off to their next class.

* * *

Hermione went through the next few days making absolute certain she didn't sleep in. She couldn't afford anymore sleepless nights wasted on inconclusive theories. The only thing she could do now was focus on obtaining an object that would destroy horcruxes, then she could begin her mad hunt for them. She knew she was going to have to venture down into the chamber of secrets and collect venom from the basilisk. The only part she wasn't sure one was whether to attempt to take a fang as well, or search for a weapon made of goblin-wrought silver, or simply try injecting the horcrux with the venom. Taking a fang seemed too risky, finding a weapon of goblin-wrought silver for an affordable price too rare, and she had absolutely no idea if simply injecting the horcrux with with venom would actually work. All in all, she was entirely in over her head. Unless of course, she could get her hands on the sword of Godric Gryffindor, she wasn't sure what to do. Fiendfyre was always an option, but Hermione shuddered at the thought. Even with her skill, she doubted she could control it. 

On top of trying to save the world, Hermione also had to keep up with her studies. Which meant meeting with Remus on Thursday at 3. As promised he was already there when she arrived. He was sitting at an open table, the seat beside him saved by the placement of his bag. Hermione quickly made her way over to him. 

"Hello," she greeted. 

He smiled in reply and gestured to the textbook he had out. Already he had flipped to the section on Red Caps. Hermione marveled at the fact she finally had a partner who was prepared to put in as much effort as she. Ron and Harry were helpless in that category of course. 

"Now, I've been reading," Remus began, "and there are a number of hexes we could try."

And so they delved right into their project, flipping through the pages of their textbook and consulting other sources as well. They found various methods, but they would need one that performed the best job. Finally, after great debate and intensive intellectual conversation, they decided upon the beautification potion that would no doubt cause the creature to be disgusted by their own beauty. This, of course, would mean they would need to brew the potion themselves.

"I'm sure if we asked Slughorn he would be more than obliging," Hermione suggested. Over the past year, she had become a favorite of Slughorn's. It also helped that she was Lily's twin, whom he seemed to favor above all others in their year. "We can ask him tomorrow when we have his class."

"Yes then hopefully we'll be able to complete it over the weekend and have it ready for Monday," Remus added and Hermione grinned. It was a nice change for once not to have someone moaning over the notion of work over the weekend. 

With all the essentials decided, they felt it best to call an end to their library session and began to collect their things. Together, they departed the library and headed towards the Gryffindor common room. At first they walked in silence, but before long, Hermione felt a pressing thought weighing heavily upon her mind, something Lily had brought up during their discussion before they had left for the new school year. Hermione couldn't fight the urge she had to voice it. 

"Er, Remus?" She began. 

"Yes?" He replied in question.

"I've been wondering and-- I don't mean to sound rude but . . . your friends, James and Sirius, and then Peter . . . I just wanted to know . . . Well it's just that you're so different from them I was wondering how . . . you know, how . . ." Hermione could feel the redness creeping up the blossom of her cheeks. She had begun to regret even attempting to ask. 

"You were wondering how we became friends," he finished for her. 

"Er-- yes."

He didn't seem angered by the question. On the contrary, he seemed rather amused. There was a smile growing upon the corner of his lips hinting so. 

"You're not the first person to ask that, actually. I think Professor McGonagall has asked me that at least twice."

This made Hermione feel a bit better and she even laughed at the fact. Of course McGonagall would wonder at it. They'd only been at Hogwarts for hardly over a year and already James and Sirius had gotten themselves into enough trouble to rival the Weasley twins with their various pranks and general nonchalance over school rules. Peter always tagged along, but Remus somehow managed to avoid the worst of trouble, setting him apart from the group. Although Hermione didn't doubt they were the best of friends, she couldn't help wondering as Lily had, how Remus had even befriended them in the first place. 

"Honestly, everyone seems to think the worst of them, but they're not bad. They're my best friends," he said, smiling, "I was sort of alone when I first arrived at Hogwarts, I didn't know anyone. But then I got into Gryffindor and the first night we were in the dorms, James, Sirius and Peter, they introduced themselves. They didn't have to talk to me, but they did. And then they began inviting me places with them and well . . . included me. Before I knew it, they were my friends."

Hermione had forgotten Remus was only 12. She felt so old herself, having experienced so many years, but Remus was only on his twelfth one. He was just a young boy, hiding a great secret that would alienate him. She remembered what the older Remus had said all those years ago, back when Hermione herself was only 13. _"For the first time ever, I had friends"._ The words rung somberly in her ears. She couldn't imagine what it had been like, all those years, having one's childhood stolen away from them because of one bite. He must have felt so lonely, having to hide himself away, lonely and scared. And then he was able to come to Hogwarts and these young boys just walked right up to him and accepted him into their lives. Hermione felt a new love blossom in her heart for James and Sirius. 

She turned to Remus, smile upon her face. "They sound amazing, Remus," she told him. 

"Yeah, they are, just don't tell them I said so, okay?"

And Hermione laughed, a good merry laugh that made her head feel light. 

"You're secret is safe with me."

* * *

 Together, Remus and Hermione, stowed themselves away on Sunday morning, brewing the perfect beautification potion. All the while, Slughorn stood over them and added a few pointers, but mostly complimented the fine attention they paid to their potion. 

"Marvelous, absolutely marvelous work Hermione. Oh and Remus do pay careful attention to chopping the dried Lady's Mantle, the potion is just about ready for it," he commented. 

It felt as though they were participating in a lecture of his class, but they endured his many critiques for at the end, their potion came out splendidly. Slughorn tasted a drop of the potion himself just to check and the pimple upon his chin vanished at once. He smiled gleefully at the both of them. 

"I do believe this will work well against the Red Cap come Monday. I wish you both the best on your endeavors, and if you do receive top marks, I would appreciate you mentioning my assistance to Professor Thorne, don't want you to take all the credit," he said with a wink. 

"Will do, Professor, thank you!" Hermione called as she and Remus prepared to leave, the beautification potion secured in a phial with a cork. 

"No trouble at all and oh, say hello to your sister for me, Hermione, she's a rather promising young witch," he added. 

"Of course," Hermione replied and at last, they were able to leave the potions classroom. 

It made Hermione smile to think Professor Slughorn admired Lily's skill. For the past year, Hermione had observed how well Lily performed magic. She was a natural, a promising witch indeed. In the coming years, she would become a force to be reckoned with. And what shocked Hermione so was how greatly she cared for her sister. She felt prepared to put herself in front of any danger that may befall her twin and what hurt so great was to know the fact that danger _would_ befall Lily if Hermione didn't put a stop to it. Her twin, no matter how valiant she would undoubtedly become, would be stolen from the world at the young age of 21 by the dark lord himself. Tears, at once, began to form in her eyes. 

Remus, ever observant, noticed this immediately. 

"I'm sure it must not be easy," he said, "having a twin. You must always be compared to her."

"What?" Hermione asked, taken aback. He thought she was upset over envy for her twin and the thought made her smile. If only her problems were as trivial as a sibling rivalry. 

"Oh no," she replied at once, with a laugh before she could stop herself, "no, Lily _is_ an amazing witch and being compared to her doesn't really bother me. We are twins after all, if they say she's talented that must mean I am as well."

Remus smiled and even gave a laugh, which Hermione suspected to be forced. "It's just-- you did seem a bit annoyed when they called you Evans 2.0."

To that, Hermione waved her hand. "Oh yeah, well I mean it's such a sad little nickname, they hardly put any effort into it at all. I thought James and Sirius were supposed to be clever."

And Remus truly laughed this time. "Yeah, I thought so too, but they are constantly proving me wrong." 

It felt nice, sharing a laugh with Remus. She only hoped this meant they had become proper friends, now. It would be all the more nicer to actually get to spend more time with Remus. She thought so dearly not only of who he was now, but also the man he was to become. Before they could say anything else, however, his three friends popped out of the darkness of a corridor off to their right, successively scaring both Hermione and Remus. In fact Hermione had jumped in her spot. Remus, however, who was used to the antics of his friends, recovered quickly. 

"What are you lot doing here?" He asked, smiling despite himself. 

"Looking for you, of course," James answered, "you've been gone all morning."

"I told you, I had to work on the project for Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Ugh," Sirius groaned, "I didn't think you actually meant it. Who does work this early on a Sunday?"

"People who actually want to pass their classes," Hermione rebutted before she could stop herself. She couldn't help it, the thought someone could care so little for their studies tortured her. 

James raised his eyebrows and answered with a quick laugh while Sirius looked hardly bothered. However, Peter stood with eyes wide. Apparently he wasn't use to people talking back to Sirius. 

"Oh Evans 2.0, you didn't seem to care so much about passing _your_ classes when you arrived so late to Defense Against the Dark Arts. At least we, good students here, actually bother to show up on time," he replied. 

Hermione's face burned crimson in anger, last Monday still a sore point in her mind. Being late to class was simply not in her DNA, no matter how altered. She could wring Sirius's neck for having brought it up. 

"I've shown up late to class once!" She exclaimed before she could stop herself, "You've shown up late countless of times!"

"Keeping tabs on me now, are you? Some would say that means you fancy me, other Evans," he replied. 

"Oh you're--you're infuriating! I don't fancy you in the slightest, and _enough_ with the terrible nicknames!" 

"I wouldn't have to bother with the nicknames if your name wasn't so dreadful to pronounce," Sirius quickly retorted. 

"Well pick up a dictionary and learn proper pronunciation of the English language then!" 

And with that, Hermione found herself storming off, determined not to allow Sirius the last word. The last things she heard before she rounded the corner were Peter's and James's sniggers and Remus's words, _"lay off her, will you?_ ". She couldn't believe how being in the presence of Sirius for only a minute could cause such anger to birth from within. These boys were nothing short of nuisances in their youth, aside from Remus of course. She now recognized why Lily had no interest in James at the moment. But what Hermione couldn't wrap her head around was _why_ she was so angry. She was a dignified, collected, and bright witch so why was she getting so flustered by one argument? Perhaps it was the fact that despite having so many experiences wrapped tight in the great brain of hers, she was still reigned to the young body of a twelve year old, subject to its many hormonal imbalances and shortcomings. Nevertheless, she had to move on from such trivial matters. She had more important things to worry over. 

* * *

The second year at Hogwarts chugged along. Hermione and Remus received top marks for their beautification potion and Professor Thorne was so impressed, she managed to forgive Hermione's past transgression of arriving late to class. Much to the pleasure of Hermione, the project had proved a foundation to her blossoming friendship with Remus. They now talked outside of the classroom and even Lily was beginning to converse more with him as well. Of course, however, this meant Hermione had to associate with the rest of his friends as well. Peter was tolerable when she could ignore his future betrayal and James was alright at times, but Sirius was more determined than ever to push her buttons. For whatever reason, he delighted in causing Hermione to storm out of rooms. Hermione had noticed, much to her displeasure, it was quickly becoming a favorite pastime of his. She couldn't wait till he grew out of this intolerable phase. 

As things improved with Remus, matters with Severus suffered. He was growing closer and closer with Avery and Mulciber with each passing day. The closer he grew with them, the more Lily and Hermione heard of their terrible ideologies. They were no friends that would promote the idea of tolerance to Severus, but rather argue against it. Eventually, the twins agreed it was time they broached the subject with their dear friend. 

"Sev," Lily prodded one fall evening as they walked across the school grounds, "we've been meaning to talk to you, Hermione and I."

"About what?" He questioned. 

"Well, these friends of yours, Avery and Mulciber, we haven't been hearing the most positive things being said about them," Lily continued. 

Severus scrunched up his nose. "And what exactly, have you heard?" 

For the first time, Hermione heard the familiar drawl in his words that reminded her so greatly of his older counterpart. It was a haunting similarity, one that sent a chill up her spine. It terrified Hermione to think he was already on his way to becoming the man who would soon be known as a death eater along with his newfound friends, Avery and Mulciber. 

"Just that they don't particularly approve of people like Lily and I," Hermione attempted to help her sister, "You know, muggle-borns and all."

To this, Severus pursed his lips. It was a truth even he couldn't deny. Hermione feared he was already beginning to agree with them which was a fallacy in itself as he had two muggle-born friends. How could he hate the majority, but still care for some? By doing so he would have to admit the fault in the idea that _all_ muggles and muggle-born alike were inferior. But alas, hatred is a blinding emotion that doesn't desire reason as its friend.

"Why are you suddenly so worried about my friends? Maybe you should worry about your own," He artfully redirected the conversation. 

"There's nothing wrong with our friends!" Lily quickly defended them, "Mary, Marlene, and Dorcas are all wonderful people!"

"I'm not talking about them," he hissed, turning to direct his attention to Hermione now, "I'm talking about the friends _you_ keep, James Potter and that little posse of his he drags around."

Hermione laughed. _Posse?_ He didn't understand James Potter's and his friends' dynamic in the slightest. This, however, was not the reaction Severus was looking for. 

"You don't deny it?" He spoke as though she were being interrogated for murder. 

"I do deny it. They're hardly my acquaintances. I'm only friends with Remus," she replied. 

"But I see you in the hallways with them!" He cried. Hermione's nonchalance over the matter proved an aggravator. 

"If you've seen me in the hallways with them then you must have seen me storming off as well. I'm telling you the truth, I only consider Remus as my friend," Hermione further defended herself. 

And that much was true. At least in this point in her life, she considered neither James nor Sirius, especially not Peter, as her friend. They were more a thorn in her side if anything. 

"As if Remus is any better than them!" Severus roared, "There's something odd about him, he's always 'ill' and is disappearing constantly. He's hardly in class and the teachers just let him get away with it!"

To this, Hermione had to hold her tongue. Reacting aggressively would only further drive Severus to the truth. She had to be careful where she tread, so as not to reveal Remus's secret. Lucky for her, Lily was the one to speak up. 

"That's not fair, Sev, you can't fault him for his illness."

"But do you even know what his illness is?" Severus pointed out. 

A silence fell over the group. Hermione and Lily shared glances while Severus stood gloatingly in his triumph. A few moment's more and Hermione found she couldn't let him get the better of them. 

"It's none of our business and not that it matters, anyway. Whatever James Potter and his friends do, it's nowhere near as bad as being Volde--" she caught herself, but not before Lily and Severus shot her alarmed looks, "-- You Know Who sympathizers."

She could curse herself for being so reckless, but it was merely the heat of the moment. In the future, she was going to have to be more careful in not allowing her past identity slip through. She was Hermione Evans in this time, _not_ Hermione Granger and a twelve year old school girl would not be comfortable with speaking Voldemort's name. Luckily, Lily and Severus were able to move past it. 

"It's just what their families believe, not them," Severus replied. 

But he didn't sound entirely convincing and Lily and Hermione were not so easily fooled. Nevertheless, the worst of the argument had passed. Severus seemed eager not be angry with Lily anymore, but he still sent sideways glances Hermione's way. It seemed Hermione was beginning to fall out of favor in Severus's mind and that was not at all a hopeful prospect. It would only make it easier for him to cut off ties with them in the future. At least he loves Lily, she thought glumly, but even that was not as comforting a notion as it would ultimately not stop him from joining the army of the dark lord.

* * *

 

Time passed and Hermione was desperately trying to cling on to its passing. In late fall, she sat in the stands of the Quidditch pitch watching as Marlene tried out for the Gryffindor team. She was a talented flier, no doubt about it, but Gryffindor already had a solid team. The only second year they allowed on the team was James Potter to fill the position of Chaser. Although the captain, Fred Hillary, did suggest that Marlene try out again next year, when there'd be more spots.

Marlene acted unbothered as Hermione and the rest of the girls did everything to cheer her up. Despite her best pretensions, the girls could see right through their friend's false mask. She was thoroughly disappointed, she had been practicing for those tryouts all summer and fall and for the next few weeks, her disappointment showed. She was making far less jokes than before, laughing far less, and was actually focusing on her studies for once. The girls were more than worried and tried all they could to help. 

Mary offered to cut Marlene's beautiful long locks as Marlene had often talked about doing, but the idea wasn't enough to entice Marlene out of her bad mood. Dorcas attempted to help Marlene with her workload, but having her astronomy essay almost entirely written for her still didn't bring a true smile to her face. Lily suggested that they go and visit Hagrid at his hut as Hagrid was an odd favorite of Marlene's, due to his funny accent and various pets, but Marlene couldn't be bothered to leave the Gryffindor common room. Hermione even swallowed up her pride and asked of Sirius and James to steal into the kitchens to locate Marlene's favorite dessert, Treacle tart, but even the scrumptious smell the delicious food proved a failure in brightening the light in Marlene's eyes. 

The girls struggled until at long last, during the first snowfall upon Hogwarts grounds, they heard Marlene's true laugh ring. It was in between classes, as the many students trudged through the quickly accumulating layers of snow that Marlene returned to herself once again. Lucius Malfoy, currently a 6th year, had immediately become an enemy of Marlene's as last year, as a Slytherin Prefect, he had given Marlene an unjust detention for sticking up for a fellow Gryffindor against a Slytherin bully. But since Marlene had used a hex against the bully, Lucius saw it in his right to give Marlene the detention. However, karma was served on this fateful winter day when attempting to walk across the grounds, Lucius slipped on ice and consequently fell on his bum, preceding to slide down the snow until at last he was met with the whomping willow that did not take so kindly to his intrusion. They had never heard Marlene laugh so hard before, they feared she might burst a lung. 

From then on, Marlene was back to her usual self and the girls were ever so grateful. 

After the conclusion of winter break, time at Hogwarts drifted rather quickly. The spring blossomed with fervor after the long winter months and then gave way to the sweltering days of impending summer. Hermione had to throw away all plans of saving the world just so she could pass her exams. Next year, she swore to herself, next year she would enter into the dreaded chamber of secrets and until then, she would plan furiously to ensure nothing went terribly wrong. But for now, she could enjoy the laughter of her friends, ignoring the clock ticking down in her mind reminding her she had only so many years left to fix it all. She worried over whether those years would be enough. 


End file.
